The present invention relates in general to devices for precisely manipulating objects and particularly to a device for manipulating objects in the medical device or pharmaceutical industry, such as a pick and place device, an item handling device or an item assembling and/or mounting, pressing, cutting, portioning device.
Such devices for precisely manipulating objects are required to repeatably and continuably perform a manipulating cycle, e.g. a pick and place cycle such as an assembling cycle, with high precision, high speed (manipulation rate) and, at the same time, with extremely low maintenance requirements.
Moreover, the manipulation of objects usually require synchronized multidimensional tooling movements of a single tool and in some cases even synchronized multidimensional tooling movements of two or more tools provided to manipulate objects, e.g. assemble medical devices.
Known mechanical and electromechanical devices for precisely manipulating objects, e.g. unidimensionally operating cam controlled tools such as positioning or pressing devices, are usually sufficiently sturdy and low maintenance, but their co-operation with other mechanical or electromechanical devices to obtain synchronized multidimensional tooling movements of one or more tools, usually involves inertial delays, mechanical tolerances and play resulting in a significant loss of precision and synchronization of the multidimensional tooling movements.
Known electronically and sensor controlled manipulating devices are able to correct tooling movement errors due to inertial delays and mechanical tolerances and play, but such devices have yet a very high cost and comparatively low manipulating rate.
The aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a device for precisely manipulating objects with multidimensional tooling movements having features which overcome the drawbacks cited with reference to the prior art.
Within the general scope of the above aim, a particular aim of the present invention is to propose a device for precisely manipulating objects which allows for high rate repetition high precision multidimensional tooling movement cycles at comparatively low production cost and operation cost and low maintenance requirements.
Those and other objects are achieved by a device for precisely manipulating objects according to annexed claim 1.